Martha Storm is one of those people whose life has sort of…passed them by. She spent years taking care of her elderly parents with no real help from hMartha Storm is one of those people whose life has sort of…passed them by. She spent years taking care of her elderly parents with no real help from her sister. She volunteers to help anyone in her small seaside village with anything, to the point of doing a neighbor’s laundry for her. She’s a volunteer librarian who keeps getting passed over for the actual paying jobs. Yet she’s still incredibly lonely.
But when she arrives at the library one evening to set up for an author event (that had been canceled without her knowledge) she finds a book with her name on it. It doesn’t look familiar to her. When she opens it, she finds an inscription made out to her from her grandmother, dated two years after her grandmother’s death. Surely that’s an error? When she begins reading the book, she recognizes the stories. She wrote them for her grandmother when she was a small child but they were never published. What exactly is going on?
I read and loved Ms. Patrick’s first book, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, during my blogging break. I was excited to listen to another one of her books.
I really enjoyed The Library of Lost and Found as well, and for a lot of the same reasons.
Martha Storm is so lonely but she’s so kind and has so much to give. Seeing her family and “friends� take advantage of her generosity was painful. But seeing her finally start to grow into her potential had me cheering! It’s a painful process, as growth always is, but so necessary. I especially loved seeing her find a circle of true friends who supported her. I’m not sure how old Martha is but she’s probably in her 40s or 50s. Change gets harder as we get older but it is possible. I love books that prove this point.
The storyline about the mysterious book and inscription was heart-breaking but touching as well. I won’t say more about that to avoid spoilers.
Imogen Church’s narration was perfect.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who needs an ultimately heart-warming book who doesn’t mind going through some difficult times to get there. You’ll be cheering Martha on too....more
Alexander von Humboldt was apparently one of our most influential scientists and yet he's largely been forgotten. Andrea Wulf sets3.5 Stars rounded up
Alexander von Humboldt was apparently one of our most influential scientists and yet he's largely been forgotten. Andrea Wulf sets out to explore Humboldt's life, explorations, theories, and lasting influence in this well-researched book.
I have to admit that I'm one of those who have never heard of Humboldt; or, if he was ever mentioned in my classes, I've completely forgotten him. And that's a shame because the man was so right about so very many things. He was brilliant and brought together many scientific disciplines in his theories in a time when scientists were becoming more and more specialized.
I don't really read book synopses that well before picking up a book. I just glance to get a general idea so that the contents are more of a surprise to me and I form my own opinions. That usually serves me well. I think it hurt my rating by at least half a star in this case.
The book at first seems to go off on very long tangents about other historical figures--Simón BolÃvar, Charles Darwin, Henry David Thoreau, etc. I could not figure out why I was reading so many pages about the revolutions in South America in a book that was supposed to be a biography of a German scientist. I finally realized that the framework of the book echoes Humboldt's own theories of connectedness. Duh. I'm embarrassed by how long it took me to finally click it all together. Once I finally got on the same page as the author, so to speak, I was more fully able to appreciate the tremendous amount of information she presents. Humboldt's influence in so many areas really cannot be overstated.
He wrote about how alpine species have more in common with species much farther north than they do with species at the base of the mountain. He wrote about weather patterns. He planted seeds of ideas that led to the theories of evolution and continental drift. He was a proponent of true "liberty and justice for all" and even fostered revolutionary ideas. His travel/scientific writing founded the field of nature writing. He seems to be largely responsible for creating the fields of ecology and conservation biology. His interests, his influence, and his reach are almost immeasurable.
I have more thoughts floating around but they would be more appropriate for an essay than a review. I will say that I think a scientifically-minded book group would find a lot to discuss here.
Be prepared for apparent tangents but I do recommend this. I learned a lot and I'm glad that Andrea Wulf has written this book to rescue Humboldt from obscurity....more
Annie Hebley is a good Irish girl who accepts a job working as a stewardess in the first-class rooms aboard the Titanic. When passengers begin boardinAnnie Hebley is a good Irish girl who accepts a job working as a stewardess in the first-class rooms aboard the Titanic. When passengers begin boarding the ship in Southampton, she’s oddly drawn to the Fletcher family–Mark, Caroline, and baby Ondine. Strange things begin happening aboard ship and passengers begin to spread rumors of thieves stealing jewelry from state rooms as well as rumors of a spirit haunting the brand-new vessel.
Four years later, Annie leaves the mental institution where she’s been living ever since the sinking. She’s not exactly a patient and not exactly staff. She’s essentially a boarder. Her friend Violet, who also survived the Titanic, has written and begged her to come work as a World War I nurse aboard the Titanic’s sister ship, the Brittanic. The doctor at the asylum urges Annie to go live a normal life so she does. But memories start racing back to her as soon as she boards the Brittanic. What exactly happened all those years ago aboard the Titanic?
I liked this well enough. The juxtaposition of the Titanic and the paranormal elements was done well. I was never entirely sure what was going on, although I did have all the pieces pretty early in the story. It is refreshing when I can’t quite put everything together.
My biggest quibble is that the story could have been tightened up a lot. There are so many characters! Annie is the main character but there are also chapters written from the points of view of Madeleine Astor, Madeleine’s servant boy, Mark Fletcher, Caroline Fletcher, W. T. Stead, Lady Duff-Gordon, and Dai Bowen on the Titanic and Charlie Epping aboard the Brittanic. There may have been more. I do see how most of these contributed to the larger work, but I honestly don’t know what Madeleine, Dai, Lady Duff-Gordon, and Charlie added. They each had their own tiny story that didn’t contribute much of value to the main plot. It made the book feel a bit rambling to me.
I quickly realized that Annie is an unreliable narrator. I’m not quite sure how I feel about those. Done well, they lead to some huge, surprising plot twists. Otherwise, I think they irritate me. Annie was a bit more of the latter. She came across as one of those girls who falls in love with every male she meets. There are reasons, I’ll grant her that. But those girls have always annoyed me, whether in fiction or in real life. Other readers will tolerate that kind of thing better than I do.
The ending? It came across as bizarre and overly melodramatic. Annie’s unreliability did make it a bit surprising. I don’t want to say more. I can’t think of a better way to meld this story with actual history though.
Jane Collingwood did an excellent job with the narration; I’ll seek out other books she reads. She had a wide gamut of accents to tackle–from Irish to English and American to Welsh with first- and third-class variants as well–and she handled them admirably.
If you’re looking for a spooky, atmospheric read, I do recommend this despite some problems I personally had with the book. Readers who enjoy all things Titanic should especially like it....more
Julian, Dick, and Anne are disappointed when their parents announce plans to vacation alone in Scotland. The children quickly change their tune when tJulian, Dick, and Anne are disappointed when their parents announce plans to vacation alone in Scotland. The children quickly change their tune when they learn that they will be spending the summer at their aunt and uncle’s house on the coast with their cousin George (Don’t ever call her Georgina) and her dog, Timmy. What follows is a glorious summer of swimming, canoeing, and exploring George’s private island.
I’ve heard of Enid Blyton but I’ve never read any of her books before. I don’t know if she wasn’t as popular in the US in general or if my library simply didn’t have her books. Either way, I feel a bit deprived. I would have loved this book as a child!
As an adult who is more than willing to read a book for any age group, I still enjoyed it but I wish I were coming to it with a child’s innocence. Now, I find it astounding that George’s parents are like, “You want to spend a couple of nights on an island by yourselves, children? Here are your sandwiches.� I wonder what has caused that cultural shift? Smaller families and more time to worry about each child? Higher crime rates? It’s just something to ponder.
Julian, Dick, Anne, George, and Timmy are a fun little crew and their explorations feel like the stuff of childhood dreams. Anne, the youngest, is slightly timid; Dick and George are maybe a little too brave; and Julian seems to be the level-headed one. Timmy is just excited to be around his beloved pals.
If you’re looking to re-capture some childhood innocence or want to share some nostalgia with the children in your life, give this book a try. I smiled my way through it, reliving my own small summer adventures....more
JG (Introverted Reader)
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